Asparagus Beetles

I went out to check on the garden this afternoon and found tiny spotted bugs on the asparagus plants.  I picked them off and got rid of them one by one.  (We have chosen not to use pesticides in our garden.)  There were 2 different types of bugs on the plants and I discovered that we have both species of asparagus beetles.  The common asparagus beetle and the spotted asparagus beetle.  Wonderful.

Common Asparagus Beetle

Spotted Asparagus Beetle

We had decided to do row covers this year to keep the insects from attacking the plants, however I removed the row covers from the asparagus 2 weeks ago.  We didn't make our PVC hoops tall enough to accommodate the height of the asparagus.  (This is something we are going to need to adjust for next year.)   At the same time I can't be too hard on myself because I just discovered they could have come from the four asparagus we transplanted from our other bed earlier this year (they are known to overwinter in the hollow stems of old asparagus plants). 

Common Asparagus Beetles on our plants!

I will keep you updated on the battle with the beetles.  Right now I am going to check them 2 times a day and continue removing any beetles by handpicking.  Let the games begin!